HIAWASSEE, Ga. – The Towns County Republican Party met for their first session of 2018 with newly-elected Chairwoman Betsy Young leading the meeting. The meeting took place on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 15, at the Towns County Civic Center.

Young opened with expressed hope that the local GOP chapter will grow in numbers and encouraged attendees to bring a friend to future gatherings prior to welcoming Towns County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw to the podium. The commissioner later echoed Young’s sentiment.

Commissioner Bradshaw, the invitational speaker, presented a lengthy list of impressive first-year accomplishments to the attentive crowd. Commissioner Bradshaw began by recalling his recent trip to Washington D.C. as one of eight sole commissioners visiting from the state of Georgia.

The commissioner proudly displayed a letter he received from President Donald Trump, a gesture of gratitude from the highest office in the land.

“It was a great trip and I learned a lot,” Commissioner Bradshaw explained. “Towns County is the smallest county in Georgia with a sole commissioner. The other seven counties are much larger than we are. I learned that the problems they have there are the same problems we have here. What really impressed me about these commissioners was that while we were having dinner, they didn’t talk about their hobbies or their families. It was always business. There’s some really dedicated people who work for the taxpayers all across the county, but these commissioners, they are definitely committed to their jobs.”

Commissioner Bradshaw spoke on many topics he has worked through since taking office last year, ranging from completing his first year within budget to the $47 million dollars generated in revenue from tourism in 2017. Bradshaw stated he works with the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, Hamilton Gardens, and the Chamber of Commerce on a daily basis, and he looks forward to upcoming events that will further elevate Towns County’s economy, such as the “Get Outdoors!” expo in early April and the “Made in Georgia” festival scheduled for late June. The upcoming elite series BassMaster Tournament is expected to draw somewhere between $1.1 to $2 million dollars in revenue.

In attendance was Bill Kokaly, a 9th District U.S. House Field Representative for Congressman Doug Collins. Kokaly made mention of what he referred to as a “do nothing” Senate, stating 378 of the 477 pieces of legislation are sitting idle in the Senate with no action taken. Kokaly went on to reiterate Collins’ support of President Trump’s immigration reform.

Field Representative Kokaly announced the 9th District Veterans Benefits Fair will be held at the Rabun County Civic Center in Clayton on Wednesday, Feb. 21, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. Constituent services staff from Congressman Doug Collins’ office will be available to assist veterans with questions and casework. Representatives from the Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office, Atlanta VA Health Care System, Asheville VA Medical Center, Georgia National Cemetery, Georgia Veteran Service Office, and the Emory Veterans Program will be available. RSVP and inquiries should be directed to 770-297-3388 or [email protected].

The Republican meeting concluded with the moniker “Trumpet” being selected as the inflatable elephant mascot’s name. “Trumpet” is scheduled to make appearances in the Georgia Mountain Fair and Christmas parades. Plans for an old-fashioned rally and barbecue are in the works for this summer.

The Towns County GOP meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center, located adjacent to the Towns County Courthouse.

 

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